By Cesare Milanti/ info@eurohoops.net
A Swedish duo is coming to UCAM Murcia, as both Ludvig Hakanson and Simon Birgander will join the Basketball Champions League side next season according to Eurohoops sources. The deals were reported first respectively by Jose Manuel Puertas and The Home of Glory.
The 27-year-old playmaker is coming off a great season in the European competition with Surne Bilbao Basket, averaging 9.3 points, 1.7 rebounds, and 4.7 assists per game and pushing them until the Round of 16. The 25-year-old center, instead, put up 6.5 points and 5.2 rebounds in the EuroCup with Joventut Badalona. After parting ways with Hakanson, Bilbao added the 24-year-old Estonian player Kristian Kullamäe, who comes from a season with 13.8 puntos, 3.7 assists, and 3.0 rebounds per game with Lietkabelis.
They will join Dylan Ennis, who was recently announced as the biggest addition of the summer for UCAM Murcia, and will be coached by Sito Alonso, who extended his contract to stay on the Spanish club’s bench. The team, moreover, officially extended David Jelinek until 2024.
Gabriel Olaseni and Aaron White leave Darussafaka
As officially announced by Darussafaka, Gabriel Olaseni left the black-and-green side. The British center was one of the better players on the Turkish team, putting up 14.8 points, 6.9 rebounds, and 1.8 assists per game in the BCL. Another player who will leave Turkey and Darussafaka is Aaron White, who will move to Japan to sign with the Kumamoto Volters, in the Japanese second division.
Selected with the 49th pick in the 2015 NBA Draft by the Washington Wizards, the 30-year-old forward spent time with several teams in Europe, such as Telekom Baskets Bonn, Zenit Saint Petersburg, Zalgiris Kaunas, Olimpia Milano, Panathinaikos, and others. Last year, he had 7.3 points and 3.7 rebounds per game in the Basketball Champions League with the green-and-black team.
Somebody joined Darussafaka as well, as the Michigan Wolverines’ product Muhammad-Ali Abdur-Rahkman will make the jump into the Basketball Champions League with the Turkish team after averaging 13.0 points, 3.4 rebounds, and 4.1 assists per game with Victoria Libertas Pesaro in the LBA.
Two other movements were registered in the Basketball Champions League, as Vitto Brown will continue playing alongside Errick McCollum in Pinar Karsiyaka for one more season. Also, Antonis Koniaris moved from AEK Athens to Promitheas Patras, which will return to the competition after participating in the 7DAYS EuroCup.
Continuity in Hapoel Jerusalem
Today was an important one for Hapoel Jerusalem as well, with the press conference held by the newest owner of the black-and-red club Matan Adelson.
He announced the three-year contract extensions of the head coach Aleksandar Dzikic and the American playmaker Khadeen Carrington, other than the arrival of the 23-year-old Israeli center Gabriel Chachashvili.
The first two led Hapoel Jerusalem to the Basketball Champions League final, where they lost against Telekom Baskets Bonn. Khadeen Carrington averaged 12.6 points, 1.9 rebounds, and 2.5 assists per game, while Chachashvili had 7.0 points, 4.7 rebounds, and 1.2 assists in his first season outside of Israel with Brose Bamberg.
הפועל “בנק יהב” ירושלים הודיעה על שלוש החתמות ארוכות טווח עד 2026: המאמן אלכסנדר דז’יקיץ’ והגארד קאדין קרינגטון האריכו חוזים, גבריאל צצאשוילי מצטרף מבאמברג pic.twitter.com/qkTAk6PKHg
— Winner League (@WinnerLeague) June 28, 2023
PHOTO CREDIT: Basketball Champions League